The present invention relates to van-type vehicles and a method of converting standard production van-type vehicles into commercial multi-passenger transportation vehicles.
Van-type passenger vehicles, as currently manufactured by most auto makers, are designed for the transportation of light commercial cargo or for passengers, and generally have overall dimensions equivalent to a full size passenger automobile. As such, production van-type vehicles are generally unsuited for service as commercial passenger carrying vehicles. Nevertheless, they have to some extent come into increasing use because there has been great demand for a commercial vehicle having an intermediate passenger-carrying capability in instances where the passenger carrying capabilities of a full size bus, usually designed to carry 40 or more passengers, is uneconomical, but an automobile limosine is too small. Common instances where standard van-type vehicles have been used in place of a bus include school transportation, company interplant shuttle services, hotel and car rental shuttle services, and passenger transportation to and from airports.
The primary problem of the use of standard production vans for commercial passenger transportation lies in the fact that the interior space of the vehicle is relatively cramped, and boarding and unboarding are relatively difficult when compared with full size commercial passenger ground transportation, e.g. buses or trains. Standard van-type vehicles are normally accessible to passengers only through either the front seat passenger door or a cargo door or doors on the side of the vehicle which open up to the back portion of the van. Moreover, entrance through the passenger door to the back of the vehicle is usually impractical since passengers would have to climb over the front seat upon entering. On the other hand, entry through the cargo door is awkward since the passenger must mount a relatively high step (at the level of the rocker panels) when climbing into the van. Once inside the vehicle, the ceilings are too low to permit upright movement about the vehicle interior. This makes it particularly inconvenient for a passenger carrying baggage, both in trying to climb into the van and in stowing the luggage. There is also a general lack of space in the passenger-carrying portion of the vehicle behind the driver's seat, which not only creates a sense of confinement and crowding for the passenger, but for the owner limits passenger-carrying capability. Contributing to this lack of space is the fact that space adjacent the cargo door must be left to enter and leave the van. Also, and quite significantly, the cargo door is removed from the vicinity of the driver's seat and therefore out of the control of the vehicle operator, which is unacceptable in many applications, and certainly where fare paying customers are involved.
In an effort to alleviate some of these problems, a variety of modifications and apparatus have been proposed in the past to adapt standard vans for commercial passenger use. In one such modification, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,638 to Persico, the standard roof is removed and a new roof affording additional headroom is attached, affording more freedom of movement once inside the van. Also, there have been proposals to modify the cargo door entrance way to ease the problem of entering and leaving the vehicle, for example using step wells as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,357 to Davis, which are similar to those developed for horsedrawn carriages.
However, these and other efforts to modify production van-type vehicles for commercial passenger transportation suffer serious drawbacks. Each of these vehicles retains one or more of the shortcomings described above, and conveys to the passenger a sense of a makeshift adaptation for commercial passenger operation. Known van adaptations possess the interior space limitations necessitated by the standard body size of van vehicles and loss of space from the use of the side cargo door for passenger entry. In addition, the production side cargo doors are not designed for easy opening and frequency of use as are contemplated in commercial passenger carrying operations. Some of the proposed modifications to the cargo door entrance ways are not only substantial and thus expensive, but result in a weakening of the vehicle body and a resulting flimsy structure, which requires substantial reinforcing of the frame. Even with such reinforcing, the door still often tends to rattle and eventually work itself loose. Finally the operator of the vehicle has no control over the cargo-passenger door from the driver's seat, and thus cannot open the door to let passengers in and out of the van without stopping and securing the vehicle, getting out of the van, and walking around to the other side. This drawback is especially troublesome in attempting to operate service in a commercially congested area, such as an airport. For the passengers to open and close the door themselves not only is unsafe and thus increases the risk of accident, but also, in a commercial and competitive service oriented operation, is simply unacceptable.